OT: Outdoor Roller Hockey around Buffalo?

[Mustache of God]

When the pandemic hit in March my wife and I decided to temporarily leave our tiny Brooklyn apartment and come back to Buffalo where we'd have more room to work remotely and experience things outdoors (with my MIL and two cats in tow).

Of the essential items I packed into our tiny hatchback were my marsblades and a few hockey sticks. I've been going out to some empty parking lots around me that have semi-decent pavement, but I'm now curious if anyone here knows of good spots to noodle around on skates with a puck? I know there's a small roller rink in Shoshone park and other in Cheektowaga on N Creek Drive, are there any others? How about tennis courts that don't have signage restricting hockey / roller-blading, or just a nice empty patch of smooth pavement?

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Try the parking lot at The Aud (or whatever the hell they call it now) ... not much happening there these days.

[Mustache of God]

17 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

Try the parking lot at The Aud (or whatever the hell they call it now) ... not much happening there these days.

Maybe GMKA can look out his window and immediately sense the grit I could bring to this team and sign me as a FA. I'd be a nice addition to Jack's wing.

[Eleven]

24 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

Try the parking lot at The Aud (or whatever the hell they call it now) ... not much happening there these days.

For that matter, the parking lot at any shopping mall.

[IKnowPhysics]

Public schools sometimes have large parking lots in ok condition if they have buses.  Usually no cars on weekends or after hours, or, now being COVID/summer, maybe anytime.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

4 minutes ago, Eleven said:

For that matter, the parking lot at any shopping mall.

Yeah, but my point is more funnier and full of snark and piss and vinegar, since malls are COVID closed and the Sabres home was shut pre-COVID.

4 minutes ago, IKnowPhysics said:

Public schools sometimes have large parking lots in ok condition if they have buses.  Usually no cars on weekends or after hours, or, now being COVID/summer, maybe anytime.

See my reply to @Eleven ...

[Kruppstahl]

1 hour ago, Mustache of God said:

When the pandemic hit in March my wife and I decided to temporarily leave our tiny Brooklyn apartment and come back to Buffalo where we'd have more room to work remotely and experience things outdoors (with my MIL and two cats in tow).

Of the essential items I packed into our tiny hatchback were my marsblades and a few hockey sticks. I've been going out to some empty parking lots around me that have semi-decent pavement, but I'm now curious if anyone here knows of good spots to noodle around on skates with a puck? I know there's a small roller rink in Shoshone park and other in Cheektowaga on N Creek Drive, are there any others? How about tennis courts that don't have signage restricting hockey / roller-blading, or just a nice empty patch of smooth pavement?

Where are you in WNY?  I would just wander around your area and find an empty parking lot or something like that and go for it. 

You don't really need that much space if you are going to skate around with a stick and puck and goof around.

 

[Mustache of God]

I'm in Williamsville, been going around Erie CC area and have found a few there, just getting bored of skating in the same place. Apparently there's two rinks near Houghton park in South Buffalo which I might go check out today. 

 

 

[ubkev]

I always preferred playing on tennis courts. Premium surface, you've got a fenced in area, and you can hockey stop on it. 

[Taro T]

38 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

I'm in Williamsville, been going around Erie CC area and have found a few there, just getting bored of skating in the same place. Apparently there's two rinks near Houghton park in South Buffalo which I might go check out today. 

 

 

Would guess there's a few in your area.  There's a couple of nice outdoor box lax courts in the eastern suburbs of Ra-cha-cha with sport court floors which are nice but would be a ridiculous trek from where you're at.

Have you Googled/DDG'd WNY (or Erie County) outdoor box lacrosse?

Good luck with tracking a rink down.

[tom webster]

Corner of Delaware and Hertel, next to Burger King. Fenced in and I always see someone playing there.

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

Is there anything available maybe at the Northtown Center in Amherst? Parking lot at least, and if they come out to kick you out then ask them about ideas where you can skate. They likely would know.

[Tondas]

8 hours ago, Mustache of God said:

When the pandemic hit in March my wife and I decided to temporarily leave our tiny Brooklyn apartment and come back to Buffalo where we'd have more room to work remotely and experience things outdoors (with my MIL and two cats in tow).

Of the essential items I packed into our tiny hatchback were my marsblades and a few hockey sticks. I've been going out to some empty parking lots around me that have semi-decent pavement, but I'm now curious if anyone here knows of good spots to noodle around on skates with a puck? I know there's a small roller rink in Shoshone park and other in Cheektowaga on N Creek Drive, are there any others? How about tennis courts that don't have signage restricting hockey / roller-blading, or just a nice empty patch of smooth pavement?

Are marsblades significantly better than basic rollerblades.  The advertisements look great.

[North Buffalo]

St Benedict's church at Main and Eggertsville seals its parking lot every year.  Great for doing donuts on after a rain or light snow?

[Mustache of God]

11 hours ago, Tondas said:

Are marsblades significantly better than basic rollerblades.  The advertisements look great.

I haven't been on "normal" inline skates since I was a teenager so I no longer have an accurate frame of reference to compare the two, but the Marsblades do feel like you're on the ice (to an extent, obviously you can't stop). The rocker makes it feel like you're digging in with an edge. I've been practicing backwards cross-unders, transitions, edge work on them and I feel like I'm improving. Picked them up last summer and never used em all that much because I played ice hockey 2-3 times a week but now that there's no ice they've been a saving grace for my hockey itch.